Djing is a hobby that can smoothly transition into an exciting career if you really have the attitude and skill for it. To a large extent, Djing is to do with attitude, dynamism a love for music and being in touch with it continuously. But first let us understand exactly what a DJ does. To put it very simplistically, DJs or Disc Jockeys choose music and play them back to the audience, so that they can dance to it. But there is more to Djing than this. DJs blend songs through a process of ‘mixing’, which means they must be great at ‘song selection’.

A DJ’s Basic Skills - Mixing And Song Selection

DJs literally blend songs in such a way that they produce seamless music, preserving the energy on the dance flow. It involves a lot of creativity to do this. To be good at mixing, it takes technical skill that you can learn. The mixing is at its best only when the song selection is appropriate. DJs create what is called a mix set when they blend songs. The DJ bears in mind the specific mood of the event, mixing songs that transport the people through highs and lows - and eventually brings them back to earth. Of course, different DJ’s have different personalities and therefore different unique styles.

We tend to think that Djing is almost always live, but it can also be on radio or recorded, which can be just as intense. In live performances, DJs often interact with the audience, choosing tracks that go with the mood of the moment. The DJ does not choose tracks at random – careful thought goes into selecting the songs particularly since they have to choose from thousands of new releases.

So let us now look at what kind of DJ you would like to be.

Kinds of DJs

Though there really is no hard and fast rule, we can broadly divide DJs into the event DJs and the club DJs. Event DJs DJ at parties, moving around and have a lightly tougher job since they must tailor the music to please a diverse audience. No matter what kind of DJ, though, you need be aware of and have access to a practically limitless selection of music. One of the best way to get started to check out if Djing is for you is to find someone locally, perhaps a friend, so that you can practice on their equipment, before you decide to buy your own. Equipment for a DJ can cost a bit so we recommend that you first invest in CDs and records.

Basic Equipment You Would Need To Get Started

There are four must-haves when you are Djing, apart from music, of course. Most well known pubs and clubs already provide the equipment you need. But where this is not the case, you need an amplifier and speakers. There are speakers with built in amplifiers that eliminate the need for a separate amplifier. Next you’ll need a mixer. A mixer lets you keep the continuity in the music because if there is no mixer, you end up with long pauses between record/CD changes. Mixers let you get on with your beat mixing, scratch mixing, song blending, song swapping and so on, all while maintaining the rhythm. You will also need a source of audio in the form of two variable speed record decks or CD players. Technics is a brand that most DJs swear by because of its quality and dependability. Most DJs mix dance music by altering the speed to blend the beats.

So you could say that a very basic set up for your Djing hobby could set you back $ 500 or so – though the sky is really the limit, depending on what you choose. Cheap equipment could often turn out to be of mediocre quality, so it is a good idea to think before you invest.

Protect your equipment with a voltage regulating power splitter.

Sourcing Your Music

You will need to establish contact with a reliable record store that has up to date music in vinyl format, as this is the preferred form for DJs. Listen to the music before you buy it. Keep in touch with the latest in music – radio stations, buzz charts, magazines and so on. You can also buy music online. There are websites that let you listen to samples before you order.